Details of Pope’s World Youth Day visit revealed

Pope Francis’ trip to Brazil for World Youth Day (WYD) later this month will be “a bit of an adventure,” according to the spokesman for the Vatican.

WYD runs in Rio de Janeiro from July 22-28, and, speaking at a press conference, Father Federico Lombardi revealed details of the schedule for the Pope’s visit.

Plans for a papal trip to Rio de Janeiro were begun under Pope Benedict XVI. The dates of Pope Francis’ trip are the same, with the Pontiff arriving in Brazil on July 25, although some changes have been made to the itinerary with Francis scrapping one day of rest and adding several events: a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, a visit to a hospital that serves the poor and those recovering from addiction, and a meeting with the coordinating committee of the Latin American bishops’ council.

The Pope will also visit the Manguinhos complex of slums, where he will address the community from a local football pitch. Father Lombardi added that Pope Francis will probably add a speech to an already planned lunch meeting on July 27 with the cardinals of Brazil and bishops from Rio and the surrounding region.

One thing the Pope will not be doing, however, is giving a news conference during his 12-hour flight to Rio, although he does plan to personally greet each of the 71 media representatives on board.